Is a covered sump ok?

[Bear]

I just put in a 150g sump under my cellar stairs. The stair backs are open and a lot of junk falls from the stairs (dust,normal household dirt etc.) I want to keep the sump as clean as possible so i cut out a two part cover made of lexan plastic. My friend Walt told me i should ask if that will effect my water where it can't evaporate well which may effect cooling in the summer. My thought was that its cool in the cellar and didn't think the water would heat up that much because of the volume. But I want to do whats best for my tank. So if anyone has any input that would be great! Thanks in advance for any help or input

Jerry

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I have a 75g tank in the basement that I cover 1/2 in the winter to cut down on heat loss. You will find that cooling will be reduced when covered

Why not cover the stair tread area? Cut a piece of wood/plastic & install
Then you can cover or uncover the sump as needed
Or even buy some ridgid insulation & use that & caulk the edges

Would probably be a good idea to do this & cut down on the moisture the stairs are exposed to

With the warmer weather, my basement has been up to 77/78 which has reduced the cooling effect

 

[Troubleman]

My sump is under stairs as well, I just stapled plastic underneath. No junk gets in my tank now.

 

[hans1976]

I don't have to worry about cooling. I keep mine covered all the time. It not only helps reduce evaporatin, but keeps the salt creep down.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

How big is your main tank?

 

[Bear]

tank size

The display tank is only 75g, sump 150g and planning on 50g frag and 50g refuge, total 325g , why does that make a difference?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

The ratio of show tank to the water in the basement is key to cooling effect

I have 125g show, approx 115g in the basement
For the most part my tank stays cool on all but the hottest days
I'm upgrading to 180 show, approx 330g sump/frag system in the basement
Part of this - 75g will only be used in the summer for additional cooling

With 75g show & 250g in the basement - you should be good
But it also depends upon how warm your basement gets in the summer

 

[Biotoper]

IMO it's better to cover your sump to limit evap - just don't have it air tight and make sure that condensation that collects on its undersurface doesn't drip outside the tank.